Methods and systems for tracking electronic commerce transactions

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are disclosed for tracking user access to an advertisement and user transactions with an electronic commerce computer associated with the advertisement. In accordance with one aspect of the disclosed technology, a transaction tracking computer associates an identifier with each access (e.g., click) of an advertisement. Transactions that occur at the electronic commerce computer that are related to the advertisement will be reported to the transaction tracking server together with the identifier. In one embodiment, if the reported transaction is a duplicate of a previously reported transaction, then the reported transaction is determined to be invalid. In one embodiment, if the reported transaction occurs more than a predetermined amount of time after the time the identifier was initially generated, then the reported transaction will also be determined to be invalid.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 60/980,970, filed Oct. 18, 2007, the entirecontents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to electronic transactiontracking, and more specifically, to tracking of electronic transactionsin connection with advertisements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As the Internet and World Wide Web continue to expand, and as increasingnumbers of households and businesses join the online marketplace,opportunities for merchants and consumers to reach each other willcontinue to increase. The environment of electronic commerce involveschallenges ad advantages different from those of a physical marketplace.This is especially true in the area of advertising. Electronicadvertising in the Internet marketplace is vastly different from paradvertisements in the physical marketplace in many ways. One significantdifference is that electronic commerce is not bounded by physicalproximity; once there is access to the Internet, there is also access tothe entire Internet marketplace. Thus, the audience for electronicadvertising can potentially be the entire online population. Anotherdifference is that participants in electronic commerce have the abilityto gather various types of information without marketplace or consumersurveys. Thus, certain labor costs associated with advertising in thephysical marketplace are reduced or non-existent in the electronicmarketplace.

On the other hand, the differences of the Internet marketplace alsopresent challenges for electronic advertising. Electronic advertisinginvolves technological competence and equipment that interested marketparticipants may not possess. Additionally, electronic advertisinginvolves economics that may be quite different from the economics ofadvertising in the physical marketplace. Accordingly, there is continuedinterest in further developing and improving various aspects ofelectronic advertising and of the Internet marketplace to address theseand other challenges.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed technology provides systems and methods for trackingelectronic commerce transactions. In certain embodiments, the disclosedtechnology provides tracking of electronic commerce transactions inconnection with electronic advertising. In one aspect of the disclosedtechnology, each access to an advertisement (e.g., click of anadvertisement) can be tracked. In one embodiment, by separately tin eachaccess to an advertisement, the disclosed technology can determinefraudulent activity on a click-by-click basis. Examples of fraudulentactivity can include generating non-existence accesses to anadvertisement (e.g., non-existent clicks), generating copies of existingaccesses to an advertisement (e.g., copying a click), and/orintercepting a valid access to an advertisement and replacing it withfalse information. In one aspect of the disclosed technology, anelectronic commerce computer can report transactions to a transactiontracking computer for recording. In one embodiment, transactions can bereported using, for example, a pixel beacon and/or a script in a Webpage. In one embodiment, transactions can be reported using a Webservice using, for example, HTTP, POST, and/or GET commands.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparentwhen considered in connection with the accompanying drawings anddetailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary Internetmarketplace, its participants, and associated equipment, in accordancewith one embodiment of the disclosed technology;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating one example of a Web browser that isdisplaying a Web page from a Web page server;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating components of an exemplarytransaction tracking computer;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary operations of thetransaction tracking computer of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating one example of a Web browser that isdisplaying a Web page from an electronic commerce computer;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of components in an exemplary electroniccommerce computer; and

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustration exemplary operations of theelectronic commerce computer of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosed technology provides systems and methods for trackingelectronic commerce transactions in the Internet marketplace. Variousaspects of the disclosed technology also relate to electronicadvertisements. The particular embodiments described herein areexemplary and do not limit the scope of the disclosed technology.

Some examples of tracking technologies are described in the followingU.S. patents and patent applications: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,997,740,7,020,62, 7,127,419, 7,395,226, and U.S. patent application Ser. Nos.10/192,256, 10/868,682, 09/771,135. The entire contents of these U.S.patents and U.S. patent applications are incorporated by referenceherein.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a block diagram of oneembodiment of an Internet marketplace infrastructure 100 in accordancewith the disclosed technology. The Internet marketplace infrastructure100 includes a network 102 that may include one or moretelecommunication devices such as routers, hubs, gateways, and the like,as well as one or more connections such as wired connections or wirelessconnections. In different embodiments, the network 102 can includedifferent numbers of telecommunication devices and connections and canspan a range of different geographies. In different embodiments, thenetworks 102 can include all or portions of a wired telephoneinfrastructure, a cellular telephone infrastructure, a cable televisioninfrastructure, and/or a satellite television infrastructure.

Various Internet marketplace participants are in communication with thenetwork 102, including one or more electronic commerce computers 104,Web page servers 106, and user computers 108. As used herein, the term“computer” includes my system or device that can execute machineinstructions, including, for example, desktops, laptops, servers,handheld devices, television set top boxes, and/or networked computingsystems, or multiples or combinations thereof. The electronic commercecomputer 104 enables electronic transactions such as, for example,electronic shopping, payment, and/or account management transactions.For example, the electronic commerce computer 104 may electronicallydisplay goods or services that Internet shoppers can order and purchaseelectronically, such as clothing or groceries, or shipping andtransportation services. The Web page server 106 includes Web pages andWeb server software that can provide the Web pages to systems or devicesrequesting them. The Web pages can include a myriad of different mediaand content, including, for example, a search interface, shoppingcontent, news content, video or audio content, and/or animations, amongothers.

The electronic commerce computer 104, the Web page server 106, and theuser computer 108 can each include hardware such as networkcommunication devices, storage medium/devices, processors, memory,computer boards, optical or magnetic drives, and/or human interfacedevices, and software such as operating system software, Web serversoftware, Web browsing software, database management software, softwaresupporting various communication protocols, and/or software supportingvarious programming languages. In one embodiment, the user computer 108includes Web browsing software that can request Web pages from the Webpage server 106 and that can transact electronic commerce in theelectronic commerce computer 104.

In accordance with one aspect of the disclosed technology, and withcontinuing reference to FIG. 1, the Internet marketplace infrastructure100 also includes a transaction tracking computer 110 that is incommunication with the network 102. The transaction tracking computer110 can include the hardware and software components described above inconnection with the marketplace participants 104, 106, 108. In variousembodiments, the transaction tracking computer 110 can communicate,through the network 102, with the user computer 108, the Web page server106, and/or the electronic commerce computer 104. The transactiontracking computer 110 will be described in more detail below inconnection with FIGS. 2-4.

In the Internet marketplace infrastructure 100 of FIG. 1, users at theircomputers 108 may access Web pages in the Web page server 106 but, forany number of reasons, may not visit the electronic commerce computer104, which can be a shopping Web site, for example. This may be becauseusers may not know that the electronic commerce computer 104 existsand/or may not be aware of new electronic commerce opportunities at theelectro commerce computer 104. In order to reach potential consumers andincrease the number of electronic consumers accessing the electroniccommerce computer 104, electronic advertisements may be placed invarious Web pages throughout the Internet marketplace 100 to informusers about the electronic commerce computer 104 and/or its merchandise.In this role, the electronic commerce computer 104 can also be referredto as an “advertiser.” The electronic advertisements can includedifferent types of advertisements, including banner ads or pop-up ads,and can include different types of content, such as text, graphics,video, audio, and/or animation.

As mentioned above herein, the economics of electronic advertising arevastly different from that of advertising in the physical marketplace.Referring again to FIG. 1, there may be a fee associated with placingadvertisements on the Web page server's Web pages 106 to inform usersaccessing those Web pages about the electronic commerce computer 104 orits merchandise. Different ways of computing such a fee are possible.For example, the fee may be based on the number of users who visit theelectronic commerce computer 104 after accessing an advertisement in aWeb page on the Web page server 106, and/or based on the number of userswho thereafter complete a purchase at the electronic commerce computer104. This type of fee system will require tracking of electroniccommerce transactions. Also as mentioned above herein, participants inthe Internet marketplace 100 may wish to compile information aboutelectronic commerce transactions without using marketplace or consumersurveys. Compiling such information will also require tracking ofelectronic commerce transactions. The sections below will describevarious aspects of tracking electronic commerce transactions inaccordance with the disclosed technology. The examples and reasonsprovided thus far for needing tracking of electronic commercetransactions are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of thedisclosed technology. There are other reasons and applications that needtracking of electronic commerce transactions and the disclosedtechnology apply to those as well.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown an exemplary diagram of a Webbrowser 202 that is displaying a Web page 204. Those skilled in the artwill understand that a Web browser is software that is located on acomputer. As used herein, the term “computer” can include any system ordevice that can execute machine instructions, including, for example,desktops, laptops, servers, handheld devices, television set top boxes,and/or networked computing systems, or multiples or combinationsthereof. Additionally, those skilled in the art will understand that a“Web page” refers to a collection of different things, including, forexample, visual content displayed on a screen (e.g., text, picture,video, buttons, etc.), software code causing the visual content to bedisplayed, as well as other software code that do not cause anything tobe displayed but perform certain functionality in connection with theWeb page. With continuing reference to FIG. 2, the Web browser 202includes a field for specifying a Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”) 206.Those skilled in the art will understand that a URL specifies the“electronic address” of a Web page, that is, the electronic addresswhere the Web page can be accessed by a Web browser. In theillustration, the URL 206 shows that the Web browser 202 is accessingthe Web page 204 from an electronic address shown as“http://webserver.com.” Referring also to FIG. 1, the electronic address“http://webserver.com” can be located on the Web page server 106, andthe Web browser 202 can be located on the user computer 108. When theWeb browser 202 at the user computer 108 accesses the URL“http://webserver.com”, the user computer 108 and the Web page server106 communicate with each other and cause the visual components of theWeb page 204 to be displayed on a screen at the user computer 108. Atthe same time, software code associated with the Web page 204 is alsocommunicated to the user computer 108.

In one aspect of the disclosed technology, a Web page in accordance withthe disclosed technology results from collaboration among anadvertiser/electronic commerce computer 104, a Web page server 106, anda tracking computer 110. Specifically, referring to FIG. 2 as anexample, the Web page 204: includes Web page content 208 and anadvertisement 210. Those skilled in the art will recognize thatdifferent systems and methods exist for providing an advisement in a Webpage. Such systems and methods can be used to provide the advertisement210. In the illustrated embodiment, the advertisement 210 includesvisual content that informs a user about the electric commerce computer104 (in FIG. 1) and/or its merchandise. A user who may have accessed theURL 206 because of interest in the Web page content 208 may see theadvertisement 210 and become interested in visiting the electroniccommerce computer 104. In the illustrated embodiment, the advertisement210 includes software code (associated with the Web page 204 but notvisible to the user) that executes when a user accesses theadvertisement 210, such as by clicking it with an on-screen pointer. Inaccordance with one aspect of the disclosed technology, the softwarecode, when executed, causes the user computer 108 to communicateinformation to the transaction tracking computer 110 (in FIG. 1), toinform the transaction tracking computer 110 that a user is interestedin visiting the electronic commerce computer 104 by reason of anadvertisement.

The software code can cause the user computer 108 to communicatedifferent types of information to the transaction tracking computer 110,including information about the user, information about the Web pageserver 106, information about the Web page content 208, and/orinformation about the advertisement 210. In one embodiment, informationabout the user can include a user identifier, which can be, for example,a user ID required to access the Web page 204 or an IP (internetprotocol) address for the user. The user ID may be entered by the useror stored by the Web browser 202 by way of, for example, a cookie. Inone embodiment, information about the user can include a list of Websites previously visited by the user. In one embodiment, informationabout the Web page server 106 can be the URL 206 and/or a uniqueidentifier associated with the Web page server 106. The uniqueidentifier associated with the Web page server can be assigned inadvance by the transaction tracking computer 110 (which requires advancecollaboration between the Web page server 106 and the transactiontracking computer 110). In one embodiment, information about theadvertisement can include an advertisement identifier that uniquelyidentifies the particular advertisement 210 shown in the Web page 204.This advertisement identifier may be assigned in advance by thetransaction tracking computer 110 and/or by the advertiser/electroniccommerce computer 104. Those skilled in the art will recognize howsoftware code for performing the above functionality can be implemented.For example, the software code can be implemented in HTML (hyper-textmarkup language) using GET or POST methods, or implemented using ascripting language such as Javascript. Other implementations arecontemplated and are within the scope of the disclosed technology.

Turning now to aspects of the transaction tracking computer, FIG. 3 is ablock diagram of exemplary components in a transaction trackingcomputer, and FIG. 4 is a flow chart of exemplary tasks performed by atransaction tracking computer. Referring now to FIG. 3, the transactiontracking computer 300 can include storage mediums/databases 302 forstoring information and/or identifiers received from the user computer(108, FIG. 1) and Web protocols software 304 that mines communicationsusing various Web protocols. The Web protocols software 304 cancommunicate with the storage medium/database 302 to store and/orretrieve information. The transaction tracking computer also includeswhat will referred to herein as a “clickID manager” 306, which can beimplemented in software and will be described in more detail inconnection with FIGS. 4-6. The transaction tracking computer can includea security/fraud prevention module 308, which will be discussed indetail later herein. The transaction tracking computer 300 can includeother software and hardware components not illustrated in FIG. 3,including hardware such as network communication devices, processors,memory, computer boards, optical or magnetic drives, and or humaninterface devices, and software such as operating system software, Webserver software, database management software, software supportingvarious communication protocols, and/or software supporting variousprogramming languages.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a flow chart of exemplary tasksperformed by a transaction tracking computer. After a user accesses anadvertisement in a Web page, the transaction tracking computer receivesinformation about the user, the Web page, the Web page server, and/orthe advertisement (402), and the received information is stored in thestorage medium/database (404). The clickID manager generates anidentifier referred to herein as a “clickID” (406). In one aspect of thedisclosed technology, the clickID manager generates a unique identifiereach time it receives an indication that a user has accessed anadvertisement (402). This allows the transaction tracking computer toensure that different transactions will be identified by differentidentifiers. The clickID identifier can be implemented as a number, acharacter string, or as another format. In one embodiment, the clickIDidentifier can include the date and time at which it was generated,which can include year, month, day, hour, minute, and/or secondinformation. Because the transaction tracking computer may receivemultiple indications of advertisement accesses during given second, theclickID can also include a sub-second portion to distinguish differentadvertisement clicks received during the same second. For example, aclickID of “11222007163812001” can be generated for the firstadvertisement access notification received by the transaction trackingcomputer at Nov. 22, 2007, 16:38:12, and a clickID of“11222007163812002” can be generated for the second advertisement accessnotification received by the transaction tracking computer at Nov. 22,2007, 16:38:12, and so on. This manner of generating a clickID isexemplary and does not limit the scope of the disclosed technology.Other ways of generating a clickID are contemplated and are within thescope of the disclosed technology.

With continuing reference to FIG. 4, the transaction tracking computerassociates the generated clickID with the received informationindicating an advertisement access (408), and the clickID is stored inthe storage medium/database (410). The transaction tracking computerthen directs the user computer Web browser to the electronic commercecomputer while communicating the clickID (412). In one embodiment andreferring also to FIG. 1, the transaction tracking computer 110 candirect the user computer's Web browser to the electronic commercecomputer 104 by providing the user computer 108 with the electroniccommerce computer's URL. This will cause the user computer 108 torequest a Web page from the electronic commerce computer 104. Thoseskilled in the art will recognize that a URL can have an “electronicaddress” portion and a “data field” portion. In one embodiment, thetransaction tracking computer 110 can communicate the clickID byinserting the clickID into the data field portion of the URL provided tothe user computer 108, while maintaining the electronic address of theelectronic commerce computer 104 in the electronic address portion ofthe URL. If the electronic address of the transaction commerce computer104 is “http://www.shogping.com/home.xml”, then an example of a URL thatalso includes a clickID may be“http://www.shopning.com/home.xml?c=11222007163812001”. When thetransaction tracking computer 110 sends this URL to the user computer108, the user computer 108 will request the Web page“http://www.shopping.com/home.xml” from the electronic commerce computer104 while allowing the electronic commerce computer 104 to receive theclickID of 11222007163812001. Those of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that other ways exist to direct the user Web browser to theelectronic commerce computer while communicating the clickID (412, FIG.4). These other ways are also within the scope of the disclosedtechnology.

What has been described thus far are methods and systems for tracking auser access to an advertisement and directing the user's Web browser toan electronic commerce computer associated with the advertisement.Aspects of the electronic commerce computer will now be described.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a diagram of an exemplary userWeb browser 202 displaying a Web page 502 from the electronic commercecomputer. In FIG. 5, the Web page 502 includes visual electroniccommerce content 504, which can include pictures, textual descriptionsof merchandise, and/or user interface forms for example. The electroniccommerce computer can include many different types of Web pages. Forexample, the Web pages can include multiple merchandise browsing pages,an account management page, a shopping cart page, a check-out page, anda purchase confirmation page, among others. As noted above herein, thoseskilled in the art will understand that a “Web page” refers to acollection of different things, including, for example, visual contentdisplayed on a screen (e.g., text, picture, video, buttons, etc.),software code causing the visual content to be displayed, as well asother software code that do not cause anything to be displayed butperform certain functionality in connection with the Web page.

In accordance with one aspect of the disclosed technology, any of theseWeb pages can include software code that cause the user computer toreport a transaction to the transaction tracking computer for recording.In one embodiment, if a user creates an account on the accountmanagement Web page, software code associated with the accountmanagement Web page can cause the user computer to report an accountcreation transaction to t transaction tracking computer for recording.In one embodiment, if a user browses a “daily specials” Web page,software code associated with the daily specials Web page can cause theuser computer to report a daily specials browsing transaction to thetransaction tracking computer for recording. In one embodiment, if auser makes a purchase on the electronic commerce computer, software codeassociated with a purchase confirmation Web page can cause the usercomputer to report a purchase transaction to the transaction trackingcomputer for recording. In one embodiment, the purchase transactionreport can include a total value of the purchase. In one embodiment, thepurchase transaction report can include an itemized list of purchaseditems and/or the number of each item purchased and/or the value of eachitem. These examples are merely illustrative, and other types of Webpages and transactions not specifically disclosed herein are alsocontemplated to be within the scope of the disclosed technology. In oneaspect of the disclosed technology, the format, structure, and valuesfor the transaction reports and for distinguishing between differenttypes of transactions can be determined in advance by the transactiontracking computer. In this manner, different types of transactions canbe tracked without need for consumer or marketplace surveys. Instead,software code associated with a Web page can report the transactions.

In one embodiment, the software code that reports a transaction to thetransaction tracking computer is a script, which can be written in aprogramming language such Javascript. In one embodiment and as show inFIG. 5, the software code is a “pixel beacon” 506, which is a 1×1 pixel“image” in a Web page that is hyperlinked to the transaction trackingcomputer. The hyperlink contains a URL in which the electronic addressportion points to the transaction tracking computer and in which thedata field portion includes the transaction to be reported. Thetransaction tracking computer can retrieve the reported transaction fromthe data field portion of the URL and can store the retrieved report.The transaction tracking computer cannot, however, send a confirmationthat it received the reported transaction because the pixel beacon orscript cannot receive confirmations. One skilled in the art wouldunderstand how to implement a script and/or a pixel beacon, and willunderstand that the transaction reporting will occur as the pixel beaconhyperlink or script code is being loaded into a user Web browser.

In one aspect of the invention, the electronic commerce computer uses aWeb service to report transactions to the transaction tracking computer,rather than using a pixel beacon or script. Referring to FIG. 6, thereis shown a block diagram of an electronic commerce computer 600 thatincludes a Web service 602, a storage medium/database 604, and asecurity module 606. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a Webservice is a method that allows the exchange of data between twodifferent systems via a standard transfer protocol. The Web service 602data transfer can use an HTTP, GET, or POST to send information about atransaction to the transaction tracking system. Those skilled in the artwill recognize that a GET data transfer carries less capacity than aPOST data transfer. In one embodiment, GET data transfers can be used toreport non-SKU-based transactions. In one embodiment, GET data transferscan be used to report transactions for Lead Gen advertisers whosetransactions contain a limited amount of data. In one embodiment, theelectronic commerce computer 600 can include an API (applicationprogramming interface) for data formatting for both GET-based (compactname-value pairs) and POST-based (XML) transactions. In one embodiment,the Web service 602 can report a transaction to the transaction trackingcomputer for recording. After the transaction tracking computer recordsthe transaction, it can send a confirmation to the Web service 602 thatthe transaction has been recorded. In one embodiment, the Web service602 can store a copy of its reported transactions in its storagemedium/database 604. In one embodiment, the Web service 602 can store acopy of its reported transactions in another storage medium/database(not shown) distinct from that of the transaction tracking computer. Thestore medium/database 604 can contain Web pages. As described aboveherein, there may be many different types of Web pages and manydifferent types of transactions. In one embodiment, the Web service 602can report a transaction to the transaction tracking computersubstantially right after the transaction occurs, i.e., the Web service602 can report individual transactions without waiting for anysubsequent transactions to occur. The security module 606 will bedescribed in more detail later herein. The electronic commerce computer600 can include hardware and software components not shown in FIG. 6,including hardware such as network communication devices, processors,memory, computer boards, optical or magnetic drives, and/or humaninterface devices, and software such as operating system software, Webserver software, database management software, software supportingvarious communication protocols, and/or software supporting variousprogramming languages.

In accordance with one aspect of the disclosed technology, theelectronic commerce computer's reports to the transaction trackingcomputer include a clickID associated with the user engaging in thetransaction. Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown a flow chart of anexemplary process for reporting transactions with a clickID. When theelectronic commerce computer receives a request for a Web page having aclickID in the URL (702), the electronic commerce computer can retrievethe clickID from the data portion of the URL (704). The clickID can beassociated with the user (706) and can be stored (708). In oneembodiment, these can both be accomplished by storing the clickID in acookie (706, 708). When the user has completed a transaction (710), theelectronic commerce computer can retrieve the clickID and report thetransaction to the transaction tracking computer together with theclickID (712). In one embodiment, the electronic commerce computer cankeep the clickID stored in the cookie after a transaction (714, 714 a),so that further transactions by the same user will still be associatedwith the same clickID. In one embodiment, the electronic commercecomputer can delete the clickID stored in the cookie after particulartypes of transactions (714, 714 b). For example, in one embodiment, theelectronic commerce computer may keep the clickID stored in the cookiefor all transactions other than a purchase transaction, but may deletethe clickID stored in the cookie after a purchase transaction.

In one aspect of the disclosed invention and with reference to FIG. 3,when the transaction tracking computer 300 receives a reportedtransaction, the transaction tracking computer 300 can match the clickIDof the reported transaction to a clickID recorded in the storagemedium/database 302. Once a match is identified, the clickID manager 306can associate the reported transaction with the previously storedinformation from FIG. 4, step 402, i.e., information transmitted to thetransaction tracking computer 300 in response to a user accessing anadvertisement. In various embodiments, the reported transaction can beassociated with a user identifier, a Web page server identifier, a Webpage identifier, and/or an advertisement identifier.

In one aspect of the disclosed technology, the transaction trackingcomputer may offer different levels of tracking service. For example,for the most basic level of tracking service, the transaction trackingcomputer may only record p se transactions. For the next higher level ofservice, the transaction tracking computer may record purchasetransactions as well as account creation transactions, for example. Withincreasing levels of service, the transaction tracking computer cantrack more types of transactions and/or more transaction information.For example, at a higher service levels, the transaction trackingcomputer may record and/or the electronic commerce computer my record anitemized list of purchased items and/or the number of each item. On theother hand, at lower service levels, the transaction tracking computermay record only a total value of a purchase. In one embodiment, thetransaction tracking computer can charge fees for different levels oftracking service. For example, higher levels of tracking service cancorrespond to higher service fees, while lower levels of trackingservice can correspond to lower service fees.

What have been described thus far are systems and methods for tracking auser's access to an advertisement as well as systems and methods fortracking user transactions with an electronic commerce computer. Thefollowing paragraphs will describe security and/or fraud preventionfeatures in the electronic commerce computer and the transactiontracking computer.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the transaction tracking computer 300 includesa security/fraud prevention module 308, which can be implemented assoftware. In one aspect of the disclosed technology, the security/fraudprevention module 308 performs duplicate checking on transactions thatare reported to the transaction tracking computer 300 for recording. Inone embodiment, the security/fraud prevention module 308 comparesreported transactions with previously received transactions having thesame clickID. If multiple transactions having the same clickID also haveexactly the same information in other fields, then it is possible that aWeb page refresh or a denial of service has caused the same transactionto be repeated. In that situation, the security/fraud prevention module308 can mark the later duplicate transaction as being invalid. In oneembodiment, the storage medium/database 302 can include a separatestorage area for invalid transactions. In this manner, valid and invalidtransactions are all recorded, but are separately recorded in differentareas of the storage medium 302. In one embodiment, the security/fraudprevention module 308 compares reported transactions with earliertransactions received over a predetermined period of time to reduce thenumber of transactions that are compared. In one embodiment, advertisingfees for an advertisement are computed only based on valid transactionsrelated to that advertisement.

In one aspect of the disclosed technology, the security/fraud preventionmodule 308 and/or the clickID manager 306 includes a clickID timer. Inone embodiment, the time when a clickID is generated is recorded. Whenthe transaction tracking computer 300 receives a reported transactionhaving that clickID, the time when the transaction is received can becompared to the time when the clickID was generated, or their differencecan be compared to a predetermined value. In one embodiment, the clickIDbecomes invalid after a predetermined time. Thus, if the difference intime is greater than the predetermined time, then the reportedtransaction is considered to be invalid. This aspect of the disclosedtechnology addresses fraudulent attempts to copy existing clickIDs anduse them in non-existent, artificially created transactions. In oneembodiment, the predetermined time can be tailored to the type oftransaction. For example, the predetermined time for a purchasetransaction can range from a few hours to a few days, whereas thepredetermined time for a transaction of browsing a “daily specials” Webpage can range from a few minutes to a few hours.

In another aspect of the disclosed technology, the security/fraudprevention module 308 includes software that tests the integrity ofreported transactions. This feature protects against fraudulent agentsthat might be monitoring communications between the transaction trackingcomputer 300 and various electronic commerce computers. Such fraudulentagents may intercept reported transaction information communicatedbetween the transaction tracking computer and the electronic commercecomputer and replace them with false transaction information. In oneembodiment, the disclosed technology can use a Checksum algorithm toverify the integrity of a reported transaction. The electronic commercecomputer's security module 606 (FIG. 6) and the transaction trackingcomputer's security/fraud prevention module 308 each include the samechecksum algorithm. When the electronic commerce computer 600 reports atransaction, it can apply the checksum algorithm to the transaction tobe reported to generate a checksum value. The electronic commercecomputer 600 can report the transaction and the checksum number to thetransaction tracking computer 300. After receiving the transaction andchecksum number, the transaction tracking computer can apply thechecksum algorithm to the received transaction to compute a receive-sidechecksum number. If this receive-side checksum number matches thereceived checksum number, then the reported transaction is determined tobe legitimate. In one embodiment, integrity testing can be based on achecksum algorithm as well as an encryption key. In this embodiment, thechecksum value is generated by applying both the checksum algorithm andthe encryption key to a transaction. These embodiments are merelyexemplary, and one skilled in the art will recognize that otherintegrity checking systems and methods can be used. For example, in oneembodiment, a checksum value need not be transmitted. Rather, thechecksum value can be a predetermined value that is known to both theelectronic commerce computer's security module 606 and the transactiontracking module's security/fraud prevention module 308. When theelectronic commerce computer 600 desires to report a transaction, it canconfigure the transaction so that applying the checksum algorithm to themessage at the transaction tracking computer 300 will result in thepredetermined checksum value. Thus, if the reported transaction receivedat the transaction tracking computer 300 was fraudulently modifiedduring transport, applying the checksum algorithm to the receivedtransaction at the transaction tracking computer will not result in thepredetermined checksum value. Other types of algorithms for testingintegrity will be known to those skilled in the art and are contemplatedto be within the scope of the disclosed technology.

In one embodiment, transactions that fail an integrity test can bestored in a separate log in the storage medium/database 302, at fromvalid transactions, where they can be isolated and easily identified. Inone embodiment, such transactions with non-matching checksums are notwritten to the storage medium/database 302, as doing so may allow writesof fraudulent data that could present a security hole. In oneembodiment, a log of failed Checksums can be stored in the storagemedium/database 302, which can be an archival medium like tape that isnot instantly accessible. In one embodiment, the security/fraudprevention module 308 can provide a rollup count by day for advertisersthat fail Checksum match. In one embodiment, the Checksum can becomputed by the electronic commerce computer before it opens a purchaseconfirmation Web page. A central server or processor can provide opensource code to advertisers to perform the computation. In oneembodiment, although it is discouraged for advertisers to edit thechecksum code, advertisers may make changes. Such changes could lead tonon-commissionable transactions, which should be immediately evident.Each advertiser will have a means to report how many transactions didnot match Checksum over a date range.

In one aspect of the disclosed technology and referring to FIG. 1,security measures are implemented to ensure that a valid electroniccommerce computer 104 is reporting transactions. Security measures caninclude, for example, hashing and encryption. Hashing is a commonly usedcryptographic function for checking the integrity of data transfers. Byusing a private key, the transaction tracking computer 110 can create amatching hash to the one provided by the electronic commerce computer104 to validate the source of the data received. In one embodiment, iftransaction tracking computer 110 created hash for the received datadoes not match the hash contained in the transfer, the data will beconsidered invalid and stored in a separate area from valid data. In oneembodiment, keys are used that are hard to guess and are kept private,which provides a secure means: of preventing the acceptance of forgeddata. In one embodiment, IP (internet protocol) restrictions can be usedas a security measure. Referring to FIG. 3, the private key andencryption algorithm for the transaction tracking computer 300 can bemaintained by the security/fraud prevention module 308. Referring toFIG. 6, the private key and encryption algorithm for the electroniccommerce computer 600 can be maintained by the security module 606.

In one aspect of the disclosed technology, an electronic commercecomputer can cancel transactions that have been reported to thetransaction tracking computer. In one embodiment and with reference toFIG. 7, the electronic commerce computer can perform steps 710 and 712as if it were reporting a completed transaction, but can replacereported values with their opposite values. For example, if the reportedcompleted transaction was a purchase in the amount of $100, thecancellation transaction can be the exact same transaction except withan amount of −$100. In one embodiment, the transaction tracking computerwill recognize a negative value as a cancellation transaction and matchthe cancellation transaction to its originally reported transaction.

In one embodiment, the transaction tracking computer 110 includes acancellation tool that can be accessible to all advertisers 104. In oneembodiment, the cancellation tool can be a Web page. The cancellationtool can allow advertisers 104 to see a list of its reportedtransactions and select a transaction it wishes to cancel. In oneembodiment, selection of a transaction in the cancellation tool willlead to a cancellation confirmation page. In one embodiment, thecancellation can be recorded as a cancellation transaction that leads toa credit of any advertising fees due. All advertisers will have accessto this cancellation tool. In one embodiment, if and advertiser wouldlike to process a cancellation manually, it will simply provide thenecessary information transaction information, and the cancellation willbe reflected in advertiser and publisher online reports, by the flowingday.

Various embodiments of the disclosed technology have been describedherein, and various embodiments are described below. The embodimentsshould not be considered to be mutually exclusive. It is contemplatedthat various embodiments can be combined.

In one aspect of the disclosed technology, there is provided a methodfor reducing recording of fraudulent transactions. In one embodiment,the method involves associating an identifier with an access of anelectronic advertisement and with a first time stamp, receiving a reportof an electronic commerce transaction involving the identifier, whereinthe electronic commerce transaction is related to the electronicadvertisement, and, in response to receiving the report, associating theidentifier with a second time stamp. In one embodiment, the electroniccommerce transaction is determined to be valid if the difference betweensaid first time stamp and said second time stamp is less than or equalto a predetermined value, and determined to be invalid if the differenceis greater than the predetermined value. In one embodiment, validelectronic commerce transactions can be stored. In one embodiment, theidentifier can include a current date and a current time. In oneembodiment, an advertising fee can be computed for the electronicadvertisement based on a valid electronic commerce transaction.

In one embodiment of a method for reducing recording of fraudulenttransactions, the method involves associating a unique identifier toeach of a plurality of accesses to n advertisement, and receivingreports of a plurality of electronic commerce transactions related tothe electronic advertisement, wherein each of the plurality ofelectronic commerce transactions is associated with one of the uniqueidentifiers. In one embodiment, an electronic commerce transaction isdetermined to be valid or not valid based on the unique identifierassociated with the electronic commerce transaction. Valid electroniccommerce transactions can be stored in a storage medium. In oneembodiment, an advertising fee can be computed for the electronicidentifier based on only the valid electronic commerce transactions. Inone embodiment, an electronic commerce transaction is invalid if theelectronic commerce transaction is identical to another electroniccommerce transaction associated with the same unique identifier.

In one aspect of the disclosed technology, there is provided a systemfor recording information regarding an electronic commerce transaction.In one embodiment, the system includes a transaction tracking computerthat records information regarding electronic commerce transactions, anelectronic commerce computer that provides a Web page for an onlinetransaction, wherein the Web page includes software code that, whenexecuted, communicates information regarding an electronic commercetransaction to the transaction tracking computer, and a user computerthat receives the Web page and executes the software code upon loadingthe Web page. In one embodiment, the software code is either a pixelbeacon or a script. In one embodiment, the electronic commercetransaction is a merchandise purchase. In one embodiment, thetransaction tracking computer records information such as the totalvalue of the merchandise. In one embodiment, the transaction trackingcomputer records information such as the number of units of themerchandise and a cost per unit of the merchandise.

In one embodiment of a system for recording information regarding anelectronic commerce transaction, the system includes a transactiontracking computer that receives and records information regardingelectronic commerce transactions, and an electronic commerce computerthat includes a storage medium and Web service software, wherein theelectronic commerce computer records information regarding an electroniccommerce transaction in the storage medium and directs the Web servicesoftware to communicate the information to the transaction trackingcomputer. In one embodiment, the transaction tracking computer transmitsa confirmation to the electronic commerce computer to indicate that ithas recorded the information. In one embodiment, the Web servicesoftware implements one of: a GET command, and a POST command. In oneembodiment, the electronic commerce transaction is a merchandisepurchase. In one embodiment, the information regarding the electroniccommerce transaction includes a total value of the merchandise. In oneembodiment, the information regarding the electronic commercetransaction includes the number of units of the merchandise and a costper unit of the merchandise. In one embodiment, the electronic commercetransaction directs the Web service software to communicate acancellation transaction to the transaction tracking computer to cancela previously recorded transaction.

Embodiments of the present invention comprise software and computercomponents and software and computer-implemented steps that will beapparent to those skilled in the art. For example, tracking, recordingand communications can be performed, stored and transmittedelectronically.

For ease of exposition, not every step or element of the presentinvention is described herein as part of software or computer system,but those skilled in the art will recognize that each step or elementmay have a corresponding computer system or software component. Suchcomputer system and/or software components are therefore enabled bydescribing their corresponding steps or elements (that is, theirfunctionality), and are within the scope of the present invention.

It will be appreciated that the present invention has been described byway of example only, and that the invention is not to be limited by thespecific embodiments described herein. Improvements and modificationsmay be made to the invention without departing from the scope or spiritthereof.

1. A method for reducing recording of fraudulent transactions,comprising: associating an identifier with an access of an electronicadvertisement and with a first time stamp; receiving a report of anelectronic commerce transaction involving said identifier, wherein saidelectronic commerce transaction is related to said electronicadvertisement; in response to receiving said report, associating saididentifier with a second time stamp; determining that said electroniccommerce transaction is valid if a difference between said first timestamp and said second time stamp is less than or equal to apredetermined value; determining that said electronic commercetransaction is invalid if said difference is greater than saidpredetermined value; and storing said electronic commerce transaction,if said electronic commerce, transaction is valid.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein said identifier includes a current date and a currenttime.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising computing anadvertising fee for said electronic advertisement based on saidelectronic commerce transaction, if said report is valid.
 4. A methodfor reducing recording of fraudulent transactions, comprising: for aplurality of accesses of an electronic advertisement, associating aunique identifier to each of said plurality of accesses; receivingreports of a plurality of electronic commerce transactions related tosaid electronic advertisement, wherein each of said plurality ofelectronic commerce transactions is associated with one of said uniqueidentifiers; for each of said plurality of electronic commercetransactions, determining if said electronic commerce transaction isvalid based on said unique identifier associated with said electroniccommerce transaction; and storing valid electronic commerce transactionsin a storage medium.
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprisingcomputing an advertising fee for said electronic identifier based ononly the valid electronic commerce transactions.
 6. The method of claim4, wherein determining if said electronic commerce transaction is validbased on the unique identifier associated with said electronic commercetransaction comprises determining that said electronic commercetransaction is invalid if said electronic commerce transaction isidentical to another electronic commerce transaction associated with thesame unique identifier.
 7. A system for recording information regardingan electronic commerce transaction, the system comprising: a transactiontracking computer that records information regarding electronic commercetransactions; an electronic commerce computer that provides a Web pagefor an online transaction, wherein said Web page includes software codethat, when executed, communicates information regarding said electroniccommerce transaction to said transaction tracking computer; and a usercomputer that receives said Web page and executes said software codeupon loading said Web page.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein saidsoftware code is one of: a pixel beacon, and a script.
 9. The system ofclaim 7, wherein said electronic commerce transaction comprisespurchasing merchandise.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein informationregarding said electronic commerce transaction is a total value of themerchandise.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein information regardingsaid electronic commerce transaction is a number of units of saidmerchandise, and a cost per unit of said merchandise.
 12. A system forrecording information regarding an electronic commerce transaction, thesystem comprising: a transaction tracking computer that receives andrecords information regarding electronic commerce transactions; and anelectronic commerce computer that includes a storage medium and Webservice software, wherein said electronic commerce computer recordsinformation regarding an electronic commerce transaction in said storagemedium, and directs said Web service software to communicate saidinformation regarding said electronic commerce transaction to saidtransaction tracking computer, wherein said transaction trackingcomputer further transmits a confirmation to said electronic commercecomputer that said information has been recorded.
 13. The system ofclaim 12, wherein said Web service software implements one of: a GETcommand, and a POST command.
 14. The system of claim 12, wherein saidelectronic commerce transaction comprises purchasing merchandise. 15.The system of claim 14, wherein information regarding said electroniccommerce transaction is a total value of the merchandise.
 16. The systemof claim 14, wherein information regarding said electronic commercetransaction is a number of units of said merchandise, and a cost perunit of said merchandise.
 17. The system of claim 12, wherein saidelectronic commerce transaction directs said Web service software tocommunicate a cancellation transaction to said transaction trackingcomputer.